Paper-folding machine



Jan. 15, 1929.

J. Q. SHERMAN ET AL PAPER FOLDI NG MACHINE Filed Jan. '7, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l WT H INVENTQRQ A TTORNEYS.

Jan. 15, 1929.

J. Q. SHERMAN ET AL PAPER FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS W LMOSLWW A TTORNEYS.

Patented Jan; 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,699,165 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN Q. SHERMAN AND ALBERT W. ME'IZNER, OF DAYTON, OHIO; SAID METZNEB ASSIGIETOR T SAID SHERMAN.

PAPER-FOLDING MACHINE.

Application filed January 7, 1927. Serial No. 159,676.

' ing device which lays down a series of folds first to the rightand then back to the left, forming a single flat pack of a length equal to one form length.

It is the object of our'invention to provide a machine for the purpose noted, in which a large quantity of paper can be handled, ke t in alignment and folded into aneven pac It is an object thus to provide means for kee ing the packs even at the sides, and for a ta e off device in the form of a moving tray, onto which the paper passes as it is folded, and which may be driven automatically to take the folded paper as it comes from the folding element, and serve as a support therefor.

The machine, as We show and describe it, has various attachments for perfecting its op-, eration, some of which may be omitted or alternative structures used, and we do not wish, because of a full description of the machine in its details, thus to limit the scope of our invention, which it is purposed to outline in the appended claims. a

We accomplish our objects by that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a Figure 2 is a detail view of the lateral packing device and pack starting device.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the machine.

Figure 4 is adetail side elevation of the bundle forming and take off devices. Referring to the illustrated embodiment of our invention, there is a frame provided, having uprights 1, and suitable cross bars 2, forming a fixed framework on which the several parts are mounted.

In the particular machine shown-,the mani folding paper is of the type having regularly spaced marginal holes therein, by means of which a true, self-aligning paper feed may be had in the manifolding machine. Thus the side elevation of the machine. I

feed for the paper into the machine is formed of a shaft 3, on which are the pin wheels 4, which engage and feed the paper. The shaft is located in a frame 5, from the rear of which extend the roller supporting bars 6. These bars are provided with idlers 7, one for each paper web, and the paper in bundles 8 already folded, and thus having an established line of fold, is set on the rear table 9.

It will be understood that the printing machines which print the forms, may be provided with folding devices to fold the web back and forth on the dividing lines between forms, and in this way the fold lines in the bundles are provided.

Each paper web is provided with its own idler roller 7, and passes thence over the pin wheels, which bring the forms together, keep them in alignment, and feed them down into the superfoldi'ng device that forms a single bundle of all of the webs used.

There are other types of aligning feed, and these may be employed instead of the feed used, but it is desirable that some type of selfalignment or readjustment of forms be resorted to to avoid bringing the fold lines of the webs into the wrong lace in forming the single bundle or super old. Very slight errors 111 form length will accumulate in a feed which feeds many thousands of forms, until a large error arises, and hence it is necessary to provide for a safeguard in the form of some kind of a readjustment for the best and most continuous operation of the machine.

belt 13 to a pulley 14 on the shaft. The pulleys 13 and the pin wheels may be changed for various lengths of forms, as may the spacing of the pin wheels for various widths.

The paper passes from the pin wheels, which delivers it as noted, to a swinging hop-- per 15, having a downwardly tapered formation, terminating in a nozzle like transverse opening 16. This hopper is pivoted at 17 on two opposite side pieces of the main frame, and is rocked by a crank arm 18 pivoted to said hopper, and to a'crank 19 on the shaft 20.

The latter shaft is mounted across the machine and is driven by gears from a main gear 21 on the paper feed shaft. There is a collar22 on the shaft 20,

which carries gears of three sizes as at 23.

An idler gear 24,

- mounted on a stud 25, isarranged to be moved to position of mesh with' the gear 21 and the selected gear of the group 23, by mounting the stud in a slotted bracket-.24 held on one pf the side frames of the paper feeddevice.

" Thestud is side walls 25", and a curved base 26. ,The'box support are s the first part of the .along one side, 7 Z other end, a rack bar 40', whose teeth depend .from the'tray, v r r has a pair of arms 41 hinged Figure 4, and as is fixedly mounted in the main frame, and will be as wide as the widest paper to be handled. A shaft'27 is slidably mounted in its walls, and is pressed, .in the instance shown, to the left b means of a spring 28, Coiled about it an engaging a collar 29 thereon. Q

The shaft extends out through the one side of the box and is equipped with a cam collar 30. A- sleeve 31 is set over the shaft, which shaft has a bearing 32 in the side of the main frame, and the sleeve is revolved by a belt and'pulley device 33 from the paper feed shaft. frame 27,'and itself, has a cam face which engages The sleeve has a bearing against the r the cam face on'the collar. As a result, the

shaft 27 is caused to reciprocate across the top of the receiving box. The end 34 of the shaft may be squared to prevent it from revolving, as it reciprocates in the walls 25.

The shaft 27 has a plate 35 thereon, and adjustably held' by a set screw, and the arrangement will be such that as the shaft is reciprocated, the plate taps against the side of a pa er bundle being formed in the receiving ox. i

It is important that the base of the receiving box be slanted or curved so as to permit the aper'to movedown out of the open side of t e box as it is piled up from above.

The receiving tray is formed as a table 36, which slides on rollers 37 .set in cross pieces of the frame. It has legs 38 and wheels or rollers 39 at its outer end, and has mounted extending inwardlyirom its The tray thereto'which carry a cross plate shaped to present a receiving support 42 for a dependingflange 43to follow the ase of the receivingbox. The arms with the receiving to a position to receive indicated in the indicated in Figure 1.

and against the cam collar on the shaft .tray to be filled with when the tray is filled, 'may'be moved to a aper, and

. bundle as it is formed, as inner position thereof in- 49. A chain 50 from the sprocket 49 engages another sprocket 51 on the shaft 52. The

pivotally on the hopper,

shaft 52 is supported in the frame and carries the gear 53 that meshes with the'rack on the tray. By this means, a slow movement of the tray is provided, the movement being such that the paper is. kept at approximately the same level within the receiving box, the previously folded and bundled portions mov- .i-ng along with the tray so as to be out of the way.

When the tray has moved outwardly, the arms and the receiving plate thereon that are pivoted to the tray, move with it, and the plate acts as an abutment for the paper.

It will be evident from the above description of parts that the paper in plural plies is fed through the hopper, which as it swings,

permitsthe pendent ends of the webs to arrange themselves on the receiving plate within the receiving box in a plural ply flat bundle, preserving the original fold lines of the individual webs. v

As the bundle builds up, it is tapped at the side tokeep the walls thereof straight, and

the receiving plate moves down, carrying the base of the bundle, becomes filled with the su erfolded paper, with the plies thereof stand ing erect. N

The operator may swing the receiving plate out of the we bundle along the en of the tray, substitutso that the tray gradually and move the paper ing some other abutment, thus permitting the paper. The paper,

point for making up smaller packs from the superfolded paper by movin the tray itself, or by lifting the paper 0 'sidewise onto a suitable carrier.

It will banoted that various parts of our machine could be omitted, with the exception of the swinging hopper and the provision of some mechanism to advance plural webs of superimposed paper to'the hopper, and the operator do the rest of the work by hand. It is an advantage, however, to provide a ma: chine which needs onl tobe started and stopped, because a sing e operator can tend to several machines at once. 7

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is o I 1. In a machine for forming flat folded pa er bundles from a series of single flat folde bundles, means for advancin the paper from the bundles in v unison an plural ply,

superimposed upon each other, and a swinging frame through which the paper passes, and means for receiving the paper as it is piled by the swinging frame,

2.-In a machine for forming plural ply, flat folded paper bundles from a series of single flat folded bundles, means for advancing the paper from the bundles. in unison and superimposed upon each other, and a swing ing frame through which the paper passes, and means for receiving the paper as it is piled by the swinging frame, said receiving means being located sufficiently below the end of the swinging frame from which the paper issues, to permit of afreely swinging pendent web portion above the receiving means.

3. In a machine for forming plural ply, fiat folded paper bundles from a series ofsingle flat folded bundles, means for feeding in superimposed relation, webs of paper from said single bundles,said feeding means cooperating with the paper to provide automatic alignment of the Webs with each other, and swinging frame through which the paper asses from the feeding means in a downward direction, and a receiving means for the paper located below the end of the frame from which the paper issues.

4. In a machine for forming plural ply, fiat folded paper bundles from a series of single flat folded bundles, a paper feeding means arranged to deliver the individual webs from said bundles in superimposed relation into a pendant'composite web, and a frame having its side walls arranged to lie outside the pendant web, and terminatin in a restricted orifice of at least the width 0 the web, and means for moving the frame.

5. In a machine for forming plural ply, flat folded paper bundles from a series of single flat folded bundles, a paper feeding means, arranged to deliver the individual webs from said bundles in superimposed relation into a pendant composite web, and a folding means arranged to engage said pen dant web and swing it to and fro.

6. In a machine for forming plural ply, flat folded paper bundles from a series of single flat folded bundles, a paper feeding means arranged to deliver the individual webs from said bundles in superimposed relation into a pendant composite web, and a folding means arranged to engage said pendant web and swing it to and fro, said means comprising a tapered hopper like structure having a narrow issuing orifice at its lower end of at least the width of the paper.

7. In a machine for forming plural ply, flat folded paper bundles from a series of single fiat folded bundles, a paper feeding means arranged to deliver the lndividual webs from said bundles in superimposed relation into a pendant composite web, and a folding means'arranged to engage said pendant web and swing it to and fro, and a receiving device for the paper, arranged to present a sloping base wall, and means for supporting the paper bundle in erect position after it leaves the said sloping base wall, 8. In a machine for forming plural ply flat folded paper bundles from a series of single flat folded bundles, a paper feeding means arranged to deliver the individual webs from said bundles in superimposed relation into a pendant composite web, and a folding means arrangedto engage said pendant web and swing it to and fro, and a receiving device for the paper, arranged as an open sided box, having a downwardly curved bottom, and means for presenting a supporting surface to the paper bundles as it starts to be .formed within the said box.

9. In a machine for forming plural ply flat I folded paper bundles from a series of single fiat folded bundles, a paper feeding means arranged to deliver the individual webs from said bundles in superimposed relation into a pendant composite web, and a folding means arranged to engage said pendant web and swing it to and fro, and a receiving device for the paper, arranged as an open sided box, having a downwardly curved bottom,

and means for presenting a supporting surface to the paper bundles as it starts to be formed within the said box, and driving means for moving said starting supporting surface down through the box as the paper accumulates thereon.

10. In a machine for forming plural ply flat folded paper bundles from a series of single flat folded bundles, a paper feedin 0 means arranged to deliver the individual webs from said bundles in superimposed relation into a.pendant composite web, and a folding means arranged to engage said pendant web and swing it to and fro, and means for supporting the bundle as it is formed, and for tapping said bundle on the 'side to keep it in transverse alignment.

11. In a machine for forming plural ply flat folded paper bundles from a series of single fiat folded bundles, means for advancing the paper from the bundles in unison and superimposed upon each other, and a swinging frame through which the paper passes, and means for receiving the paper as it is piled by the swinging frame, and means for tapping said bundle on the side to keep it in transverse alignment.

12. In a machine for forming plural ply flat folded bundles of paper from single ply bundles, comprising means for delivering and rocking to and'fro. the webs of paper from ottom of the box i entrelation,

bottom, in which the bundle is formed from take off the take ofl the paper as the box becomes filled:

13. In a machine for forming plural ply flat folded bundles of paper from single ply bundles, comprising means for delivering and rocking to and fro, the webs of paper from said single ply bundles in superimposed penda receiving box having'a curved and a receiving tray located to receive the paper from the bottom of the box in position with the plies of the bundle vertically disposed, said tray being movable to paper as the box becomes filled,

said webs,

' and means for driving said tray mechanically paper web movement,

to move in synchronism with the pendent the receiving box. i

14. In amachine for forming plural ply flat folded bundles of paper from single ply bundles, comprising means for delivering and rocking to and fro the webs of paper from said single ply bundles in superimposed pend- 'ent relation, a receiving box having a curved bottom, in which the bundle isformed from said webs, and a receiving tray located to re- "ceive the paper from the bottom of the box in position with the plies of the bundle vertically disposed,

in a path away from said tray being movable to r 4,099,105 I Q take 0E the paper as the box becomes filled, and means for driving said tray mechanically to move in synchronism with'the pendent paper web movement, in a path away from the receiving box, said tray eing formed as a platform having supporting legs at the for- ]lation into apendent composite web, and a folding means arranged to en age said pendant web and swing it to and T0, and receivingbox having a downwardly curved base,

and a receiving tray slidably mount-ed in the machine and having hinged thereto a start- 7 ing support for the paper within the box, and means for mechanically driving the tray to move it away from the box, whereby the starting support becomes a vertical abutment for the paper bundle as it accumulates on the tray, moving thereto by .gravity from the box.

JOHN Q. SHERMAN. I ALBERT W. METZNER. 

